Making and keeping contacts at a conference
Conference contacts begin with preparation and conversation, develop through shared activities, and continue through follow-up after the event. Formal networking sessions and informal encounters offer different ways to meet people.
Preparation and introductions
The programme should be reviewed before the conference to identify people to meet, and familiar names and faces on the association’s website can provide conversation starters. Attendees should decide what they want to gain personally and professionally, and arrive early on the first registration day to meet more people.
Presenters can be invited to connect on LinkedIn in advance, with a note explaining that the attendee looks forward to meeting them at their session; following their social-media activity and arranging meals or coffee with colleagues also prepares the ground. Newcomer orientation events bring together people who are actively seeking contacts.
Business cards should be brought and exchanged; one attendee brought homemade cards. An introduction should explain in 60 seconds or less what the writer does and how the services benefit clients. A conference should not be approached with the expectation of leaving with a job.
Work should be finished before travel so that it does not keep the attendee in the hotel room. Staying for the entire conference avoids missing opportunities through late arrival or early departure. Staying at the conference hotel places an attendee at the networking hub; one writer regretted staying with a friend away from the venue and subsequently advised staying where the conference takes place.
Conversations and participation
Attendees should sit with different people at sessions and events and initiate conversations before and afterwards, since many people who want to network are more comfortable responding than starting. New and experienced attendees both have knowledge to share.
Two participation strategies help others get to know the writer.
- Participate actively in seminars, presentations and classes by asking a question or offering a helpful solution to a problem.
- Stand out through a colourful scarf, a funny story or a memorable personal detail; one writer talked about raising chickens to demonstrate presentation skills in a non-work setting.
One writer obtained her first medical-writing job through questions asked at a roundtable. Another experienced attendee recommended professional dress as a way to be remembered.
Networking should involve giving more than taking: sharing resources and connecting people builds credibility and trust. A conference can also provide an opportunity to find a mentor or become one, and newcomers can ask someone for help navigating the event.
Unscheduled encounters matter too: one student attendee met helpful writers on an airport shuttle, in a coffee queue and while waiting for sessions, and remained in email contact with several afterwards. Another initially shy attendee spent early conferences working alone in her room until an unfamiliar member invited her to lunch; the invitation developed into a lasting collegial relationship and became an example she tried to repeat for others.
Structured networking and shared interests
Structured networking can make it easier to meet more people than relying on spontaneous introductions. AMWA’s first speed-networking session used seven-minute conversations with nine partners and brought together writers, editors and project managers from industry, academia and freelance practice. Participants exchanged cards, learned about others’ freelance experiences, asked questions and obtained useful contacts, including a referral to a web designer. An opening suggestion was to mention a personal strength; conversations ranged across professions, backgrounds, hobbies and hometowns.
Interest-based coffee and dessert discussions give attendees a way to meet through shared hobbies and experiences. AMWA examples included raising chickens, jewellery making, quilting and independent travel; one travel-session leader continued receiving emails from participants afterwards. Creative-reading forums have let members share poems, essays, short stories, song parodies, novel excerpts and creative nonfiction in an appreciative setting without evaluation or criticism. A chapter dinner offers a smaller setting in which people are looking to meet others.
Social events and evenings
Energy should be reserved for social events after a day of sessions, rather than automatically retreating to the hotel room. Shared dinners, conversations and common interests help people remember one another; participants have also made lasting friendships.
Conference social activities have included dinners, city tours, cooking classes, morning yoga and networking receptions. EMWA’s Vienna programme included a dining event whose participants discovered their dinner companions only on arrival. Barcelona activities included a group dinner, regional cooking and walking tours, giving participants opportunities to catch up and meet others while exploring the local culture.
One experienced association member values spontaneous conversations between sessions, coffee exchanges, walking tours and candid peer discussions as aspects of in-person meetings that virtual events do not reproduce.
Follow-up and return visits
Cards should be exchanged while both people are still at a workshop, and notes added about where they met, what they discussed and any type of writer the contact may need. Follow-up can begin with an email from the airport or soon after returning, a LinkedIn invitation or a handwritten note. Relationships take time, so a list of people to stay in touch with and regular sharing of useful information and resources can help maintain them. Key contacts can also be included in an e-newsletter list.
One attendee valued having contacts she felt comfortable asking for advice when facing unfamiliar work. Several attendees developed lasting friendships, and returning felt less daunting once some of the people were already familiar. At one second conference, a conversation during a social event generated an idea that became part of the next internship forum, and attendees were still networking after the formal programme ended.